Things that go Bump in the night
by Flag
Summary: It all started when Soda got off work early... If only things had remained that simple.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I thought I'd do a Soda POV fic, since I only have one. I have a little bit of trouble writing for him, so let me know how I can make it better please! And if I should continue, let me know. It's going to pick up. Review, please! What kind of feeling do you get from it? What are your thoughts? Help me so I can make it better, please!

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own The Outsiders.

I was thankful for the coolness of the house; no matter how minimal it was, as soon as I stepped inside. Despite the drizzle outside, it was a humid day and the streets of Tulsa were blistering. No one could be found outside on a day like that; they'd all taken refugee from the blistering sun wherever they could, whether it was The Dingo or someone's rickety old porch. There were no football games on a day like that, nothing to preoccupy your mind. The only thing that happened on day's like this were naps, showers and beer. I felt sorry for Darry more than usual on days like this; he didn't get off work, he was still roofing houses in the sweltering heat. It was hard enough working at the gas station on a day like this, and there wasn't too much physical labor involved. I guess it wasn't too good for the kids in the schools either, it must be hot in a room with 30 some other kids with you. Might be a little smelly too.

I wasn't working anymore for the day; we'd closed after an old lady tried to drive off with the gas hose still in her car. It had ripped it out of the ground, so I was off work until they had it fixed. They said it would only be a day or two, and I hoped they were right. Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily like work, but too much time with nothing to preoccupy my mind with my brain starts to go crazy. I get really antsy, but I can't help that I always need something to do. That's why I didn't do too good at school, all you did was sit around all day, and I can't do that, my energy would get all pent up and I wasn't allowed to release it.

I poured myself a glass of water and went and sat on the couch. Normally I would drink chocolate milk, but in the heat of the day you need something that will actually quench your thirst, not just taste good. Besides, the last thing I need on a day like this is more energy, and that's what chocolate milk will do to you. The silence in the house was nice, it was something that I rarely got. Usually I like the hustle and bustle that usually happens, but on a day like this, nothing could be nicer than a little nap. I was tired anyways, I'd dealt with all kinds of people earlier; gang members to grandmothers, new parents to children with lollipops, school kids to Soc's… I'd even been talking to the boss… He'd been telling me something or another about a car… It kept making a noise…

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

I was awoken by a noise a while later, far too early for my liking. How long had I been asleep for? Checking the clock on the wall, I saw I'd only been out for about 10 minutes. In my groggy haze I realized it must have been someone knocking on the door. Why would someone be knocking? I got up and started to walk towards the door, each step was grueling; it felt as though my legs weighed a ton. Was I catching the flu or something?

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

****"I'm coming," I grumbled to myself, silently cursing whoever was at the door for waking me up.

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

****"Hello?" I said as I opened the door, hoping it was just a marketer so I could get back to sleep.

"Hello?" I asked again, for no one was there. Glancing around, I couldn't see any movement of someone running, or a car on the road. "Whatever," I said as I closed the door. Probably just some kids having some fun. I'd done it enough times that I wasn't too mad.

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

****I chose to ignore it this time, making it out to be either my mind or some stupid prank. It'd go away after a minute.

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

****It wasn't going away, if anything it was getting louder and more persistant.

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

As I laid down on the couch, I couldn't help but think that the thumping was coming closer. But that wasn't possible, was it?

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

****Sitting upright, now fully awake, I realized the sound wasn't someone knocking on the door at all. But that wasn't possible, was it? None of the gang had footsteps that loud… None of the gang was even here…

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Almost a month without updates! Despicable! I apologize and promise that the next chapter will be up sooner. Thanks for the reviews, the more I get the faster I'll update!

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

I got up and started walking to the entrance to the hallway. Someone in the gang was pulling a prank, and it wasn't very funny. Usually, I have a pretty good sense of humor but on hot days like this, I'm not up for much. Heck, I didn't think anyone in the gang was either, but apparently I was wrong

**_Thump. Thum-RING!_**

The phone is in the habit of ringing at the worst times, such as when your right about to find one of the gang playing an annoying trick on you.

"Hello?" I said when I reached the phone, slightly annoyed. "Hello…" No one answered me, so I was about to hang up when I heard a giggle. Not a girly giggle, but a manly giggle.

"Hello?" I asked again. This time, I got a reply.

"Did you know it's raining?" said a sinister voice which echoed in my ear.

Without another word, I heard the click that meant that they had hung up. What had that been about? Looking outside, I saw it wasn't raining, but it was sunny outside. What a weird phone call. What was even weirder was that the thumping had stopped while I was on the phone. Maybe I was overtired.

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

Sure that that was what was the problem, I laid down on the couch to take the nap I had been longing for. Maybe that would take away the thumping noise…

"Soda?" Someone was shoving my shoulder. "Soda?"

"Mmph?" I've always had a hard time waking up.

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

"Come on, Soda. Why's the bedroom door locked?"

"Pony?" I asked. The thumping seemed to be taking over my head again.

"Why'd you lock the bedroom door? Do you have some kind of destructive cat in there?"

"No… I didn't lock it."

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

"Then what keeps thumping from inside our room?" he asked me.

"What?" I asked, suddenly wishing I had thought to check it out before I went to sleep. "You hear it too?"

_**Thump. Thump. Thump.**_

Ponyboy gave me a weird look, and I took it to mean yes. Well, obviously he meant yes, seeing as he mentioned the thumping in the first place.

"You need in our room?" I asked him, hoping I could lay down some more but knowing I had to get up.

"Yeah…" he replied. "You got a key?"

"Yeah, somewhere…" I said, getting to my feet and walking over to the door and opening the jar on the shelf where we kept all keys. We hardly ever used them.

_**Thump. Thump. Thump. **_

The thumps were getting quieter now, but they were still annoying. What the heck was thumping in our bedroom, and why the heck was the door locked?

Unfortunately, when I unlocked the bedroom door, I found out what had been banging, and I couldn't have hoped more that Darry was around instead of Ponyboy. The scream almost split my eardrums.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Slightly more punctual update here, and I think I'm going a little too indepth for Soda:P And this is for WhoaaReally53 because the first week back at school sucks, and your awesome anyways :P  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders

The nightstand was overturned in the middle of the room, at such a height that her feet could skim it but not get a grip. The ceiling beam was straining from the weight hanging from it, and the tiles had been stripped away from it so that the room resembled a construction site. Well, it would have looked like a construction site if her beautiful face hadn't been blue and she hadn't been hanging from a rope in the middle of the room. Why was she there, anyways? Why ever she was, I wish she wasn't. It was scaring me, and it was definitely scaring Ponyboy, who had screamed a little when he first saw her, but then started breathing really heavily beside me.

**_Thump. Thump. Thump._**

I saw what was making the noise then. She was gently swaying back and forth from the rope around her neck, and as her feet brushed the top of the nightstand they were making thumping noises. The window was open and a cool breeze was blowing in, which caused an already scary event to be even worse. When I had left in the morning, it wasn't open. Heck, when I had left this morning the room had been in decent shape. Maybe not perfect, but it was a heck of a lot better than this. What was I supposed to do? If there had been any chance she was alive, I would have done something. But she wasn't; she was dead as a doorknob.

I was glad Ponyboy had stopped screaming, a scream is just what would set me off then. Well, he hadn't screamed that much in the first place, but the shock of a beautiful lady hanging dead in your bedroom is enough to spook anyone. I didn't really want him to see her anymore, so I shut the door again. I should have done something, and now I regret it.

"Come on…" I said to Ponyboy and we went to the living room and sat down; sat in silence, neither of us knowing what to say. At least the thumping had stopped, leaving the house in an eerie silence, only broken by the ticking of the clock on the wall. It seemed years that we sat there, neither of us saying a word, both lost in our own worlds.

"Guys?" asked someone from the doorway and I jerked around to see Darry standing there. I hadn't even heard the truck come in. "What's going on?"

"There's something… In the bedroom…" I couldn't quite bring myself to tell him what it was, and it donned on me then that I probably should have called the cops. I wanted to go with Darry to see, but I didn't want to see her face again, and I definitely didn't want Ponyboy to, because he looked scared to death still.

After seconds what seemed like hours to me, I heard Darry call out "What?"

"What do you mean what?" I called out. "In our bedroom."

"Yeah, I know. What's wrong in here?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe that there's a dead girl in there?"

"Soda?" Darry called out. "Come here."

Grudgingly, I got off the couch and walked towards my bedroom, dragging my feet. Why would he make me see? I didn't want to.

"What the-?" I asked when I got to the doorway, because nothing was there. The room was tidy, the ceiling in tact, and there was definitely no girl hanging from the ceiling. "There was a girl… Hanging… Here…" I tried to explain to him, but I couldn't connect words too well. What the heck was going on? I walked into the room and pointed at the ceiling as I spoke.

"You feeling alright?" Darry asked me, giving me a strange look as though he thought I was on hallucinogenic drugs.

"Yes! Pony saw too! It was a girl, and she was dead! The room was wrecked and she was hanging right here!" I pointed to the ceiling uselessly. "It was wrecked…"

"Pony?" Darry called out, and Pony didn't answer. Darry went out into the living room, no doubt to see Pony, leaving me in the room alone.

"What the heck…" I said to myself as I started to leave the room. "Maybe I am sick…" I almost convinced myself of that, too, until I saw a bloody handprint on the back of the door right by the keyhole.


	4. Chapter 4

Dedication: For Chrissy, who knows what life is about.. Sorry it's not my best...  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders  
A/N: This is kind of drab, but the next chapter will be better. PROMISE.

"Darry, I'm tellin' you! There was a girl hanging in the bedroom, and the room was a mess!" I was telling Darry as we walked out to see Ponyboy. "And just now, there was a bloody handprint just below the doorknob! I'm not crazy! Ponyboy saw it too!"

"Well that's funny, why didn't Ponyboy say anything Soda? Come on, it's been a long enough day you don't need to fool around with me."

"I ain't fooling around, Darry. Ask him."

"Sure Soda, sure… Ponyboy, you alright?" Darry asked him as we went into the living room. He sat on the edge of the couch, giving me a kind of disappointed glare and leaving me standing in the doorway.

"Darry, Soda's telling the truth," Ponyboy said. I knew he would, not only because it was the truth but because Ponyboy always tried to keep me out of trouble. Funny, it should have been the other way around, with me being the older brother…

"Go to bed," Darry told us. "Now."

"What?" I asked. For a minute I thought he was sending us to bed because he thought we were purposely causing problems, but then I saw the look on his face and I could tell he thought we were sick. He wasn't going to believe us, and we couldn't make him so it wasn't worth the fight. We went to bed, even though it wasn't late. I could use the nap I'd been wanting to have all afternoon anyways.

54321

For a few days, I thought we did have some kind of sickness. Everything went on like usual, and nothing more was said of that day, not to Pony, not to Darry. It was kind of a closed subject, and since I was working again, I pushed it to the back of my mind, but I did try not to be home alone, which wasn't too hard when you have a group of seven friends hanging around half the time.

"Soda?" Darry called when I walked in the house.

"Yeah?" I called back, flopping down on the couch. I glanced at Steve and indicated for him to start dealing cards.

"Someone called for you… Said to tell you no one's knocking on the door… Said you'd know what he meant."

"What?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"I don't know, he hung up. Had a crazy laugh." When he mentioned the laugh, something clicked in my head but I didn't know where the heck I had heard a crazy laugh before, but I still didn't have any idea what the phone call was about.

"Whatever," I said and picked up my cards that Steve had dealt me. "Did you cheat?" I asked him. I had a lousy hand.

"No…" Steve answered, attempting to look innocent.

"Your lying!" I said as I pounced on him and tackled him to the ground, which hurt my elbows as much as I'm sure it hurt his back.

"Go easy, guys…" Darry warned as he came into the living room and sat down.

"Not until he admits HE-CHEATED!" I shouted above the loud crashing we were making as Steve managed to get a hold of my arm and held onto my wrist. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Darry role his eyes. He's not into this kind of thing anymore.

"I'm going out… I'll be back in a bit," Darry said and I heard him walk across the room and open the door… Then I heard it close behind him.

"Get… OFF!" Steve shouted and finally threw me off him. I didn't really care, my strength had been giving away and I didn't feel like I could have stayed on top for another half a minute.

"Cheater," I said as I sat down on the couch again and turned on the TV.

"Am not." I rolled my eyes at that, he sounded younger than Ponyboy, and I was planning on telling him that but before I could say anything there was a loud _crash _in the kitchen.

"Didn't Darry go out?" I asked Steve, then looked into the kitchen.

"Yeah… Probably Two-Bit, he's always banging something."

We sat for a few more minutes, just flicking through the channels on the TV since there wasn't anything good on, but the crashing continued.

"What the hell are you doing, Two-Bit?" I asked and got up to go see what he was up to. I didn't want him burning the house down; Darry would probably blame me or Ponyboy somehow.

"What the fuck?" I said as I stood in the doorway of the kitchen. "Steve?" I called out.

"What?" he shouted back to me.

"You gotta see this."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Aw, this chapter turned out shitty, so I'm not even dedicating it to anyone.  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders

"What?" Steve asked me and I heard him walking towards me.

"Oh fuck," he said when he got beside me. "What do you think did that?"

Like I was supposed to know what had completely trashed the kitchen. I guess it wasn't as bad as the bedroom had been, because the room wasn't actually dismantled, but rather, everything was thrown all over the place. Every drawer was open, every cupboard door, and from what I could see everything was thrown out all over the room. Cutlery, food and pots and pans littered the floor. The chairs and table were tipped, the refrigerator door wide open, shelves bare.

"No idea… Something like this happened a while ago…" I told him, and he gave me a questioning look, upon which I told him the entire story.

"And he didn't believe you?" Steve asked when I finished talking.

"Nope. Think he'll believe we didn't do this?" I was sure hoping he would believe it.

"Naw… She was just, gone?"

"Yes! Gone, and the room was put back together."

"And you didn't hear anything?"

"No… It happened, Steve, Ponyboy was there too." I thought I saw a scowl at the comment, but when I looked again his face was composed.

"So, what do we do?"

"I dunno… Leave it or clean it up?" I asked him. I wasn't too eager to clean, but I knew I'd end up doing it anyways. Then again, maybe if Darry came back and we were cleaning he'd think we'd done it. I don't see the logic in trashing your own house, but who knows, maybe he'd think we had a food fight or something. So, we did what any teenagers would do, and went back in the living room and watched some T.V. Well, we weren't really watching, or at least I wasn't, I was thinking of what the hell was going on in the house.

Darry came back in the house, but I was so lost in my own thoughts I wouldn't have heard him if it wasn't for the squeak of the door.

I looked up at Steve and said "Act like you never saw it," when I saw Darry's back go into the kitchen. Steve nodded, and a second later Darry came back out of the kitchen.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice forced-calm.

"Huh?" I said, and Steve looked at Darry.

"To the kitchen."

"What's wrong with the kitchen?" I asked, and Steve gave me a look that made it obvious what I was saying wasn't believable. I never was that good at lying, maybe I should try lying more.

"You didn't see it?" he asked in an unbelieving tone.

"No…" I answered even though I knew he wouldn't believe it.

"What about you, Steve?" he asked, but this time his voice was a little higher meaning he was a little closer to his breaking point. I was hoping I wouldn't be there when he did.

"Nope," said Steve, looking back at the TV. It didn't look like _he_ was lying, and apparently Darry bought it because he looked back at me.

"Soda, I know you saw it…"

"Aw, fine," I said, thinking that maybe if I admitted to seeing it I would be in a little less trouble. "I saw it."

"I know you saw it… Did you do it?" he asked me.

"Nope."

"Then why wouldn't you tell me you saw it?" He probably wasn't accusing me, but I sure felt like he was.

"Because I thought you'd be mad." Darry stood up when I said that.

"Yeah? You thought I'd be mad because you trashed the kitchen?"

"I didn't-"

"Whatever, just clean it up alright?"

"Why, I didn't mess it up!" I said. Why wouldn't he believe me? Why would I trash our own kitchen?

"Soda, you don't make any sense these days. Think about what you've been trying to tell me. You saw it, but you didn't make it? You lie about not seeing it? Now you want me to believe that you aren't lying about doing it?"

"Darry, he didn't do it," Steve said sticking up for me.

"Oh, so you did too?" I really hate it when me and Darry fight, and it didn't happen very often, but when it did he was being thick headed and I wish he would go away. This was exactly why I didn't want to tell him I had even seen it.

"No-" said Steve, but Darry cut him out.

"I'm going out, just clean it up alright?"

"Where are you going? You just got back!" I said to him. Why was he being like this, what was bugging him? I didn't know, but I knew I had one heck of a mess to clean up.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my previous chapter, even though it was crummy. It really helps with writers block.  
Dedication: I dedicate this to Heidi because she had the same exact idea as me

"You should have helped me…" Her voice was mystical yet unlike any other I'd heard before, it was out of the world, kind of misty. She was pretty, except for the bruising around her neck… What was she doing here, again? She was really pretty; she had brown eyes and blonde hair and was really pretty. She looked really familiar, but I didn't know where the heck I'd seen her before.

"What?" I asked. I didn't know what she meant.

"You could have done something…" Then I realized where I'd seen her before, she'd been hanging in above this very bed not that long ago. But she was dead, right? So why was she here, now, talking to me? Dead people can't talk…

"I couldn't have…"

"Soda…" she said, pulling out a fairly long piece of rope. "Would you want me to help you?" She was wrapping it around her hands and I started to back away. "Would you?" she asked me, but I couldn't move because it felt like I was backed up against a wall or something, and she was getting closer…

"Uh…" I said, getting a little scared. "Yes?"

"Then you should have helped me… Soda… I am your MOTHER…" I couldn't move, and she was coming closer, about to strangle me, and I was helpless… No one else was around… And what the hell was she talking about?

"Madeline?" someone asked, but I couldn't see who. "Madeline, what are you doing?"

"Yeah Madeline, don't be stupid... He's just a kid," said another voice, but I couldn't see anyone other than the girl in front of me.

"Come on, let Soda go…"

"Yeah, just let him go…"

"You don't have to… He killed you, you know…"

I couldn't see who all these people were, it was like I couldn't see anything other than the girl in front of me, like everything on both sides of me was just coloured in black so I couldn't see it.

WHAM!

"Whaa…?" I asked myself, not sure what had just happened. Looking around, I saw I was in my bedroom floor… And I appeared to have just fallen off the bed.

"That was weird…" I told myself as I got up. Ponyboy had slept through it all, and for once it was me who had the nightmare instead of him. I started to get back into bed when I heard a voice from somewhere in the house.

"Stupid, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Making a lot of noise stupid, don't drop that!"

"Drop what?"

"The glass in your hand-"  
"But what are you doing!"

What the hell were they talking about? I had to work in the morning, and so did Darry, so shouldn't whoever it was know to be quiet? What they were saying didn't even make sense… Maybe it was Dally and Two-Bit fighting drunkenly about something.

"Getting some water, obviously…" I heard the water turn on in the kitchen, then back off.

"You don't need water, moron…"

There were a lot of voices coming from the kitchen… It sounded like half a dozen voices, and I didn't feel like going back to bed anymore, so I went out to the kitchen to see…But when I got down the hall and opened the kitchen door, the voices had moved. It was weird; a second before they were in the kitchen, but the next second they were outside.

"Tomorrow night…"

"Yeah, tomorrow…"

"… All of them…"

I was pretty sure by now that it wasn't anyone that I knew, so I wasn't sure whether or not I should go out and see who it was, but since it was my house I decided to anyways, but not without being armed. I went over to the closet and grabbed a baseball bat that we had from when Pony played baseball in school. I never thought I'd be using one, I'm not much at sports, but I figured I could swing it pretty good if I had to.

"Hello?" I said and I opened the door and stepped onto the porch. The voices had stopped, and no one was out there.

"What the fuck…" I mumbled to myself and turned around and went back inside, thinking that it was all in my mind since I had just had a really weird dream as I got into bed.

"…Soda?" Ponyboy mumbled from beside me.

"What?" I asked, hoping I hadn't woke him up. Sometimes he has a hard time sleeping when he wakes up, but I didn't need to worry about him getting back to sleep because he was already out of it again and couldn't tell me what he had wanted to say.

I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but I was hearing voices again.

"Fuck this," I mumbled to myself and I rolled out of bed and landed silently on my feet. I started to creep over to the door when I heard one of the voices scream, very loudly,

"SODA!"

I didn't think anyone could have slept through the scream, but I glanced back at the bed and Ponyboy was still sound asleep. I couldn't hear any movement from Darry's room, so I was thinking that it probably was all in my head. I had half a mind to go back to bed and ignore it, but of course I couldn't. I had to go check again and make sure that no one was around.

I stepped onto the porch and looked around on the lawn and all over, but I couldn't see anyone or hear anyone.

"Fuck this," I mumbled again and turned around to go back in to the house, but before I could step inside something hit me on the back of the head that the last thing I remember is reaching out for the door before I blacked out.


End file.
